


Boy I'm Telling You

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22767172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: The Titans, the Teen Titans, the Outlaws and Young Justice. After the team-up of the century, Damian finds himself standing alone.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 370





	Boy I'm Telling You

**Author's Note:**

> Based on/Inspired by ‘Not Losing You’ by Maddie Poppe. This strikes me as a very Damian and probably Dick song, and I didn’t do it any justice in my rusty, suddenly infrequent writing. Dick absolutely lives up to what he told Jason and makes it a thing. He also threatens Jason and Tim with pain of death if they’re ever the ones to tell Damian it wasn’t. Their friends are a little offended that they all immediately abandoned them without a reason for Damian, but the other Batboys are perfectly fine with that, Dick, of course, especially. Artemis and Bizzarro are the only ones who don’t hate/probably actually like Damian, just haven’t hung out with him much, so. This is really poorly/not really at all edited so. Sorry I’m garbage :/

It was quite the team up, to say the least.

Titans, Teen Titans, Outlaws. Even Drake’s ridiculously named Young Justice joined in the fray.

The battle was hard. Long. Painful. But it was over now. They’d won. The bad guy was taken down. There were no casualties. The day was saved, and they were heroes to the people once more.

And now that the war was won, the teams were slowly ungrouping. The Outlaws here, the Titans here, their teen counterparts over there, and the like.

And Damian…stood off to the side. Alone.

His team didn’t like him much, he knew that. They worked with him when they needed to, like today, but otherwise kept their distance. So he tried to respect that. Tried to give them the space they wanted.

Tried to pretend it didn’t hurt as much as it did.

He heard Grayson laugh across the space, and glanced at him. He was in the center of the Titans, somehow giving each of his friends his full attention at once. Donna was smiling, Wally was cackling, smacking Dick on the shoulder.

He glanced over towards Drake’s team, Young Justice. It was Drake spreading the physical affection here, an arm around Conner Kent’s shoulders, high-fiving the others, one by one under the shouts of one of them for pizza.

Jason’s celebration was more muted. An arm punch from the Amazonian one, Artemis. The Superman clone rubbed at his hair, and laughed as Jason frowned at him. Roy even popped over from the Titans clique, wrapping Jason in a hug that Jason grumbled at, and kissed his cheek. Kory waved across the way, remaining at Dick’s side.

One last look to his own team. They all had their backs turned to him, talking to each other. Smiling and whispering, paying him no mind.

So…that was it. The battle was over.

Guess he could just…go home, then.

He did one last look toward everyone, made sure he didn’t notice any injuries someone was trying to hide, or troubles lingering around them. Then nodded and turned away, wondering where he left his bike.

He had only taken a few steps when: “Damian?”

He glanced over his shoulder, and found Dick, suddenly extracted from his Titans, jogging almost desperately towards him. He paused, turned.

“Everything okay?” He asked as Dick approached.

“Yeah, of course…where are you going?”

“Home.” Damian almost smirked. “Where else would I be going?”

“With us to get the obligatory and celebratory ‘we-saved-the-day’ Korean BBQ?” Dick pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

“I was unaware I was invited.” Damian murmured. He glanced over Dick’s shoulder towards the Titans. They were all still grouped together, laughing and chatting. “…I don’t think your friends would appreciate my tagging along.”

“My friends?” Dick tilted his head. He hesitated, then followed Damian’s line of sight. “Oh! Well, they…weren’t really invited. I didn’t mean them.” Dick laughed, and turned further. “I meant, _them_.”

Damian glanced around his brother to find both Jason and Tim separating from their teams to move towards them.

“With all the craziness around Bruce’s death, I never really got to show you this tradition.” Dick smiled softly. “No matter how big the team-up, if we’re all involved, we go out for a family meal after.”

Damian watched as his brothers got closer, but his gut churned uncomfortably.

“…That’s a tradition you have with them. Don’t feel like you need to include me too.” He frowned, looked over at his own team. “Out of _pity_.”

“…Damian.” Dick huffed in an exasperated laugh. Tim reached them then, and cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “How many times have I explained to you that nothing I do with you is out of pity?”

“Look, I know you’re not an idiot.” Damian felt himself beginning to ramble a little, embarrassment and defensiveness growing as Jason now silently joined them. “I know you saw the divide between my team and I concluding this battle. I know you think I look like…like the lonely kid on a playground or something, but it’s _fine_. I…I’m tired anyway. And there’s reports to be made on this. So.” He sniffed, avoided Jason’s understanding gaze, and Tim’s sympathetic one. “So go have fun. Bring me a box of BBQ later if you think of it.”

Dick threw his head back and gave a long, suffering sigh that turned into another airy, this-can’t-be-real laugh.

“…Damian.” He repeated, bringing his head back up. He leaned forward and put both his hands on Damian’s shoulders, forcing Damian to look up at him. “I don’t care about your team. Frankly, it’s their loss, in my opinion.” Dick grinned, gave Damian a little shake. “And like I said, a family meal. You are _family_. Period. And honestly, if you’re not coming, then I don’t even want to go.”

“I’m going whether any of you three are there or not.” Jason quipped. “’Cause I’m fucking hungry.”

Tim slapped his arm.

“But you’re right…I did see how you and your team are. And I know what you _think_ all of our friends think of you. And if you ever want to work on that one day, you let me know. But you know what?” Dick asked. Damian just stared. “I don’t give a shit what any one of them think.”

Damian continued to watch.

“Not even Donna.” Dick claimed. “And she would kill me if she heard me say that.”

That earned a smirk. Dick grinned back, and ruffled his hair.

“Now come on, kid. Because I’m with Jason – I’m starving.” Dick nodded. But before he could scoop Damian up and throw him over his shoulder to forcibly bring him along for some brotherly bonding, Tim stepped up first wrapping an arm around Damian’s shoulder and leading him towards the nearby street.

And when he looked back, Dick thought he’d be looking at him, a knowing look at what he was planning to do. But instead, Tim was looking at Damian’s team, with quick glances at his own.

Because of course, they were all watching. The Titans, the Teens, the Outlaws, the Young Justice. The Bats love to make an exit, after all. And the feeling about Damian was mutual amongst most of them.

And by the pure cold fury in Tim’s eyes, it looked like he might be even more sick of it than Dick was.

After all, Dick wasn’t lying. It was absolutely, 100-percent their loss, that they didn’t love this boy as much as he did.

Jason suddenly jabbed him in the side in the elbow. “Don’t pick a fight over the kid. Not today. He’s embarrassed enough by you as it is.” He stepped after the younger two. “And I’m still hungry.”

“Right, right.” Dick snorted. “I’ll do it next time, when you aren’t hungry.”

“Preferably when I’m not here at all.” Jason hummed. “Though…I wouldn’t be opposed to babysitting the kiddos while you go fight for Damian’s honor.”

Dick smiled, clapping a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jason watched after their younger counterparts. “…He’s going to find out you lied, you know. Eventually.”

“What about the celebratory Korean BBQ family dinner? Probably.” Dick asked, as they followed after Damian and Tim. “Unless we make this a real thing.”

“As long as you’re paying, I’ll keep showing, I guess.” Jason decided. But it was said gently, like that wasn’t the case. Like he might actually enjoy this small chance at family time. “You’re lucky Tim and I caught your hand signal, and are good at playing along.”

“Even if you hadn’t, I’d have made another cover story.” Dick smiled. “Though I still don’t get why it’s so hard to believe that I really do love hanging out with Damian.”

“Not for me. You two are the same brand of gleefully violent when you want to be. I know that.” Jason nodded. “You really going to fight your friends for him though? Or Tim’s? Fuck, or mine?”

“Jay, I’d fight the whole world for that kid.” Dick grinned. He bounced his shoulder against Jason’s. “And I know you would too.”

Jason didn’t answer, and that was answer enough for Dick.

When they reached the street, they found Tim and Damian waiting for them at the crosswalk. Immediately, Dick wrapped an arm around Damian’s shoulder, stealing him from Tim’s side. When Damian shifted away slightly, Dick squeezed his shoulder, and hugged him tighter, silently declaring he wasn’t letting Damian stray.

Not for anything.

Or –

He glanced back at the teams and friends they all left behind, without a word, or a reason.

\- for anyone.


End file.
